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Egypt rounds up more Muslim activists

The Egyptian authorities have arrested 75 members of the Muslim Brotherhood and have extended the detention of four leaders jailed earlier in a government crackdown sparked by a wave of pro-reform protests by the banned movement.

19 May 2005 20:08 GMT

Brotherhood chief Akif has vowed to press on with protests

The 75 newly arrested Muslim Brotherhood supporters were detained late on Wednesday and early on Thursday, and prosecutors ordered them held for 15 days for investigation.

A total of 754 members of the outlawed organisation are in detention over protests the group held in May in several Egyptian provinces, part of a growing opposition campaign for reform.

Detention was extended for 15 days for four leading figures arrested on 6 May, including Essam el-Eriyan, one of the most prominent young leaders of the group.

On Wednesday, the banned but tolerated Muslim Brotherhood said 753 of its members had been arrested by the police in raids across the country.

Pro-reform protests

The raids targeting the

Muslim Brotherhood, which has been behind a series of pro-reform protests against President Hosni Mubarak, were conducted in nine governorates.

"The number of members of the Brotherhood held ... now totals 753 people, including 28 people arrested on Saturday and some 60 arrested on Tuesday," the group said in a statement.

Protests against President Mubarak have been growing

The crackdown came a day after the group and three main opposition parties announced they would boycott a disputed referendum on a constitutional amendment to the mechanism of electing Egypt's next president.

The chief of the Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement saying Egypt's security apparatus has launched a campaign against the group's members.

Speaking to Aljazeera, Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohammed Mahdi Akif condemned the arrests and vowed to press ahead with the "struggle for the nation's welfare".

"All Egyptian people reject this regime and this rude, obstinate and tyrannical style," he added.

Members seized

Earlier, judicial sources said 56 Muslim Brotherhood members had been seized on Tuesday, accused of belonging to a banned group and "attempting to mobilise students and workers" against Mubarak's 24-year-old government.